Mark Knight 🍉
@markknight63.bsky.social
Archaeologist with a Fenland tendency. Happiest in the black, buttery depths seeking old land surfaces. You got them big dreams....
Do you use soil micromorphology and/or OSL? We know demand for both techniques is high, while UK capacity is limited, leading to long turnaround times. We are looking to expand these services at Durham and would value your input on what would be useful for you: forms.cloud.microsoft/e/LJcgUnyH5t
Microsoft Forms
forms.cloud.microsoft
Check it, nerds. Recent find of late stage Maglemosian (8400 BP) antler axe with preserved wooden handle from Egholm, Northern Jutland. Fantastic to see that we still have conditions in Denmark for such fantastic organic preservation. Because it probably won’t be long before we don’t.
How sheepish is Europe? This map shows the distribution of sheep across Europe. Source: buff.ly/dSfHDOe
🥳We are very excited to see work starting on one of our biggest ever wetland restoration sites. Now, after lots of planning and preparation, the diggers have arrived to turn an area almost the size of Hyde Park into a thriving wetland. Read more here www.wildlifebcn.org/news/work-st...
At last BBC news has something sensible about prehistory, because it's largely quotes from @markknight63.bsky.social !
All British pre-history can be seen at Cambridgeshire dig, says expert
Finds from a site best known for "Britain's Pompeii" reveal prehistoric people adapting to change.
bbc.co.uk
Excellent short piece here with wise words from @markknight63.bsky.social Back in February 2016, I was lucky enough to visit the site of excavations there. The quality of the archaeology (and of the archaeological investigation) has stayed with me.
merryn@merryn02.bsky.social · last wk.Must Farm quarry. Its a huge site with loads of archaeology. Some of the best Bronze Age organics yet discovered in Britain. Flax, wood and those amazing pots of grain. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
This #WorldAnimalDay, spare a thought for some often less-appreciated animals: insects! Incredibly useful to archaeologists, preserved insect remains can teach us how spaces were used in the past, from food storage to burial. Learn more 🆓 doi.org/10.15184/aqy... 🏺 #Archaeology
I know I'm biased, but to my mind, the results of the #FlagFen Auger Survey are equivalent to the mapping of #Doggerland - once elusive submerged landscapes made palpable! #FenlandPrehistory
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · last wk.The model created from the Flag Fen auger survey shows that the basin around the post-alignment has a gentle gradient across its western half, beside a deeper 250-300m wide “valley” across the eastern half. This eastern deeper, wetter zone corresponds to the location of the Flag Fen platform.
What a way to end the first week at the start of first year in archaeology at Birkbeck! The dynamics of hoarding with Eleanor Ghey, and handling and coin stories with Elina Screen! Archaeology, it’s important! Many thanks to such incredible colleagues at the British Museum. @eleanorghey.bsky.social
And Tasha Fullbrook on the importance of the Portable Antiquities Scheme!
I know I'm biased, but to my mind, the results of the #FlagFen Auger Survey are equivalent to the mapping of #Doggerland - once elusive submerged landscapes made palpable! #FenlandPrehistory
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · last wk.The model created from the Flag Fen auger survey shows that the basin around the post-alignment has a gentle gradient across its western half, beside a deeper 250-300m wide “valley” across the eastern half. This eastern deeper, wetter zone corresponds to the location of the Flag Fen platform.
The model created from the Flag Fen auger survey shows that the basin around the post-alignment has a gentle gradient across its western half, beside a deeper 250-300m wide “valley” across the eastern half. This eastern deeper, wetter zone corresponds to the location of the Flag Fen platform.
Sometimes, the auger is mightier than the trowel!
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w agoThe deepest point from the Flag Fen auger survey was 3.8m and the shallowest 0.2m with an average depth of 1.46m. The lowest recorded point equalled -1.24m OD while the highest equalled 2.87m OD, a difference of 4.11m. The resulting model established a detailed asymmetrical, bowl-shaped profile.
Sometimes, the auger is mightier than the trowel!
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w agoThe deepest point from the Flag Fen auger survey was 3.8m and the shallowest 0.2m with an average depth of 1.46m. The lowest recorded point equalled -1.24m OD while the highest equalled 2.87m OD, a difference of 4.11m. The resulting model established a detailed asymmetrical, bowl-shaped profile.
George is quite right on this. I discovered via FOI requests that just 5% of all woodland creation grants go to support natural regeneration of trees, and 95% to tree planting. I’ll continue to push DEFRA to fix this. www.theguardian.com/environment/... bsky.app/profile/geor...
Government ‘failing to support natural regeneration of trees in England’
Campaigners say targets for woodland creation are unlikely to be met because 95% of grants are for planting
theguardian.com
George Monbiot@georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 2w agoIn terms of messaging, this is very positive, and a big shift from the nature-hatefest of the Starmer administration. Mind you, most tree-planting is unnecessary: I'd like to see much more emphasis on natural regeneration. 🧵 www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Dutch auger was 'made' for the #FlagFenBasin - the largely soft, cohesive sediments of #Fenland made characterising the deposit sequence relatively straightforward and most of the auger holes located remnants of an old land surface buried beneath the silts and peat.
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w agoTo gather the information needed to build a model the auger survey used a grid 1100m x 500m spaced at 50m intervals across the Flag Fen post alignment corridor. Starting at Fengate to the West and ending at Northey Island to the east a total of 200 points were hand augered. Photo: Emma Bothamley
To gather the information needed to build a model the auger survey used a grid 1100m x 500m spaced at 50m intervals across the Flag Fen post alignment corridor. Starting at Fengate to the West and ending at Northey Island to the east a total of 200 points were hand augered. Photo: Emma Bothamley
Old school analogue methodology, tons of enthusiasm and a simple research question: what was the topography and deposit sequence of the Flag Fen Basin at the time of the Flag Fen post alignment?
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w agoLast year’s Flag Fen auger survey was designed to accurately map the pre-Holocene land surface and surviving Holocene sediment sequence in the area around the Flag Fen post-alignment. This week we’ll be exploring the project and some of its findings. Photo: Emma Bothamley.
Old school analogue methodology, tons of enthusiasm and a simple research question: what was the topography and deposit sequence of the Flag Fen Basin at the time of the Flag Fen post alignment?
Cambridge Archaeological Unit@cambridgearch.bsky.social · 2w agoLast year’s Flag Fen auger survey was designed to accurately map the pre-Holocene land surface and surviving Holocene sediment sequence in the area around the Flag Fen post-alignment. This week we’ll be exploring the project and some of its findings. Photo: Emma Bothamley.
Love the legalese bunkum. Apparently, attaching something to someone else's property, without permission, means they can't take it off or it's theft/criminal damage. It would be terrible if someone, who knows where this prick parks, filled his windscreen with RNLI stickers, to test the principle.
Jane@localnotail.bsky.social · 2w agoThis artwork was created over the past year by a local Birmingham artist collective who wanted to bring unty from discord by repurposing the divisive Nationalist flags into a massive Brummie Reunion Jack. Suffice it to say, the inspiration for Goldship's magnificent work has not taken it well.
Bamboo spatulas or digging sticks - ideal for digging later Bronze Age pile alignments and beautiful objects to boot! tasuki-japan.com
